BOKO HARAM: Gwoza still under siege, Emir yet to be found.

Gwoza town in the southern part of Borno State, which was taken over by Boko Haram insurgents since Tuesday, is still under siege while the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Idrissa Timta, is yet to be found, credible sources said yesterday. Weekly Trust learnt that the Boko Haram fighters have also slaughtered the Chief Imam of Gwoza, while a councilor of one of the wards of the local council and some of his children were among dozens of people killed in the town. Security sources said air and ground troops have been mobilised to the area but locals who called journalists from atop Mandara Mountains said the assailants are still in control of Gwoza. It was gathered that more than 5, 000 people, especially young men are hiding in caves on the mountains behind Gwoza town along the borders between Nigeria and Chad. On the other hand, women and children are reportedly being held captive in the town even as the insurgents are in control of the emir’s palace. “We are hungry and in distress,” said Musa Aliyu, one of the youths who called on Cameroonian GSM network. “We have no food to eat or water to drink but our major problem is that if nothing urgent is done, the arsonists would climb the mountain and kill us,” he said. Laraba Daniel, a mother of eight,who is now in Maiduguri, said five of her children are on top of the mountain while three are nowhere to be found. “I am here but my mind is with my children in Gwoza and many other people trapped there. Sadly, since Thursday, there is no entry or exit in Gwoza and innocent people are being massacred,” Daniel said. In a related development, the Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday killed eight people, including a 65-year-old man in Kirenowa town of Marte local government area along the shores of the Lake Chad. Sources said the attackers went to Kirenowa around 1.30pm and carefully selected their victims. Sources last night said Boko Haram insurgents have taken the Mobile Police Training School in Liman Kara, few kilometres from Gwoza town. The school is one of the best in the country and most regular policemen that are earmarked for conversion to mobile police personnel are sent there for specialized training. A senior official of the school said the insurgents chased all the personnel out of the school yesterday.He did not however, explain whether casualties were recorded during the attack. Meanwhile, some credible sources are said the Emir of Gwoza is alive but his whereaboutsarebeing kept secret.Some said he has been taken to Madagali in Adamawa State while others said he is Maiduguri.